Chris Cheek: Keepers of the Eastern Door

In Keepers of the Eastern Door, saxophonist Chris Cheek leads a beautifully played, richly melodic and creatively curated set of performances, which split the difference between enchantment and fun. Cheek and his bandmates—Bill Frisell on guitar, Tony Scherr on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums—offer a mix of distinctive Cheek originals and unexpected takes on works by others. The covers are borrowed from genres outside the jazz and songbook repertoires, and the band outfits them with attractive new arrangements, tempos and rhythms. Cheek plays with appealing modesty and a warm and handsome sound, qualities that enhance the impact of his sparely deployed vibrato. The group handles the highly varied material with economy and patience, clearly evoking in several tracks the moods or emotional states suggested by their titles.

The first track, "Kino's Canoe," a Cheek original whose title is drawn from the Hemingway story, "The Pearl," starts the recording off with a bit of a feint, via a performance that is more riff-based and backbeat-driven than those that follow. The catchy opener is also distinguished by wonderful unison phrasing by Cheek and Frisell, whose consonant blend, from which one or the other will sometimes peel away for a solo or countermelody, is a charming feature of several tracks.

The pace slows with the second track, "Smoke Rings," an early Mills Brothers B-side, later recorded by Henry Mancini. Cheek and Frisell give the reflective melody the careful attention it deserves. Here and elsewhere, Frisell's playing eschews the effects and textural ingenuity that often enhance his performances. This drier approach suits Cheek's set list well.

The band offers two respectful but updated readings of choral works by historically significant composers. For "O Sacrum Convivium!," Olivier Messiaen's 1937 composition, Cheek turns to soprano sax and Frisell to acoustic guitar, instrumental choices that highlight the work's distinctiveness in the track list and its sacredness. Scherr and Royston bless the performance with a subtly unmistakable ballad swing.

In "Lost is My Quiet," the band ably voices the mournful melody and lyrics of baroque composer Henry Purcell's gorgeous song of lost love. Cheek gently but effectively increases his urgency in his second solo, which follows an emotionally and tonally resonant one from Scherr.

"On a Clear Day," the famed title song from the 1965 Lerner and Lane musical, is a more conventional cover choice, but the band pricks up the ears by giving it a gently funky rhythm. Scherr's catchy vamp and Cheek's playful arrangement align nicely with the awed optimism of the song's lyrics.

The beginning and ending of "From Me to You" offer straightforward readings of The Beatles' melody, which sandwich some songful and concise solos by Frisell and Cheek. But Cheek's solo and the tempo, slower than the Beatles' give this version a more entreating quality than the original.

The title track, "Keepers of the Eastern Door," a sobriquet for the indigenous Mohawk people, begins with some evocative tom beats from Royston. Those give way to an attractive and extended melody.

"Go on, Dear," the closing ballad, features lovely solos by Cheek and Frisell. Here and on several other tracks, it is rewarding to hear Royston color in around the theme and solo statements. In his sweet concluding phrase, Cheek inserts a brief pause that nicely frames the album's final warm note—a comforting exhale.

With Keepers of the Eastern Door, Cheek and his collaborators, exemplars of sensitive listening and responsive playing, have given us a recording that prioritizes restraint, offering the satisfactions of notes carefully chosen and phrases carefully crafted.